Ianis Hagi initially joined Rangers on a loan deal from Genk in January and his transfer was made permanent in May.
During his early days with Rangers, the attacking midfielder’s father and former Barcelona star, Gheorghe Hagi, visited his son in Scotland.
Hagi Sr was personally welcomed to the club by Steven Gerrard and speaking to Pro Sport in Romania today, Gheorghe was in full praise of the current Scottish league leaders. He is of the belief Ibrox is the right place for his son.
“I was delighted to be greeted by a player as great as Steven Gerrard,” Gheorghe said.
“It was the club that received me the best, I was in the locker room an hour before the match with Braga [in February 2020], they gave me a T-shirt with my name on it. It was a great reception, I was happy. Ianis can be better and bigger.”
Ianis has one goal and eight assists to his name in all competitions this season, but the former Liverpool star has left the 22-year-old out of Rangers’ starting lineup in recent games.
Earlier this week, former Romanian football Vasile Miriuță said he is of the belief Ianis is under pressure, which is why he lost place at Rangers. The father of Gerrard’s man believes his son has enjoyed playing at the highest level this year.
“I believe in Ianis. He became the best player in Romania in two years. He proved to be valuable, he went abroad, he played in the Champions League. He left for Glasgow Rangers, he has had a very good year, he is one of the best passers in the championship, he is on the right track,” the 55-year-old said.
“He doesn’t have many goals, but the number 10 is not necessarily a goalscorer. You should score more, if you score more you will grow a lot.”
